Joey's Diary
by Zeroofthedragons
Summary: Joey's living with his abusive father, who gets drunk, ect. When he meets the popular head of Kaiba Corp, he thinks he's doomed. S-J, a tiny bit of J-M
1. The Jerk

Zero: new stories...new people...anyway, it's Joey's Diary!!  
  
DISCLAIMER: don't own, wish I did  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Dear Diary,  
Geez. Weird talkin' to a book, ain' it? Hm...what happened today? Nothin' much. Dad's gone, probably out drinkin' or sumthin' with his pals. Not that I care. I got food. Maybe I'll host a party here or sumthin', whaddya think? Maybe it's not worth the risk...  
  
Yug's been great through all 'dis. He's there to talk to when I need to work sumthin' out. Tristen's on some vacation thing with Tea- now don't you ask me why those two went...I dunno.  
  
Movin' on here...  
  
Oh yeah, I've been meaning to put this in writing. You know, so I'll always avoid this certain day? I met this total jerk out on the streets yesterday. He thinks he's da boss of everything! Just because he's rich! Ok, so I don't know much 'bout that guy, but hey! First impressions are everything, right?"  
  
Joey Wheeler paused. He listened for any sound of movement. Hearing nothing, he turned back to his diary.  
  
Now I'm hearing things...maybe this diary ain't such a good idea. No one's gonna care about my life later on. And it's not like anyone but me'll read it!  
  
Anyways, there's this girl-  
  
"Joseph! What is this?!" An older, male voice bellowed from downstairs.  
  
'Man. Dad's home...' Joey sat up and shut his book, slipping it under the mattress. "Comin'!" Joey dashed down the stairs. If he'd learned one thing in all these years of living with his father, it was to never keep the old man waiting.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Next day  
  
"What's wrong, Joey? You look...upset."  
  
"It's nothing, Yug. Don't worry," Joey reassured the small boy. He hated lying to his friends, but he really didn't want Yugi to worry.  
  
"Well, I'm always here if you need to talk," Yugi Moto said, seemingly convinced.  
  
Joey nodded, smiling for the first time that morning. "I know Yug. Thanks."  
  
Yugi nodded just as the bell rang. "I'd better get to class. See you at lunch!" With that said, Yugi turned and ran off to his classroom.  
  
Joey sighed and walked to his own class. He walked into his History classroom and nearly bumped into someone. Without looking up, he muttered a quick 'sorry' and proceeded to his seat. He was just about to sit down when an annoyed voice cut through his thoughts.  
  
"Watch it, Punk."  
  
Joey looked up finally- and came face-to-face with a tall brunette boy about his age. Two piercing blue eyes stared hard at him.  
  
Joey winced. This was the last human he ever wanted to talk to, especially since his recent fight with his father. "Sorry," he said again.  
  
To his horror, the brown-haired boy sat right in front of him. Joey scowled and stared hard at the top of his desk.  
  
His first encounter with this kid had been on the streets. He was walking home from Yugi's grandfather's game shop when he had taken a short cut down an alley. There he had spotted the brunette with a smaller boy. Joey had ignored them and continued walking, but he caught the other boy's sneer.  
  
Later that day, Yugi had told him that jerk was a Kaiba, from Kaiba Corps. The worst part was that he had happened to be the leader of the organization.  
  
"So he's rich, the leader of that nearly perfect factory AND hates me," Joey remembered saying.  
  
"Mr. Wheeler."  
  
Joey started. He blinked and looked around. The teacher was standing up in front of the black board, staring calmly at him.  
  
'Why is it 'dat all the History teachers are always so calm?' Joey wondered to himself.  
  
The teacher cleared his throat loudly. "Mr. Wheeler," he repeated.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Could you please answer the question, Mr. Wheeler," the teacher said slowly, sounding bored with himself.  
  
'Why is it that most History teachers have 'dat same annoying voice?' Joey wondered before asking aloud, "What was the question?"  
  
The class erupted into fits of giggles and laughter. Joey felt his cheeks burn, but the teacher stood calm as always.  
  
"What we need, Mr. Wheeler, is the answer to this question: What year was World War 1 started?"  
  
'And why does this History teacher always use my name?!' Joey thought, annoyed. He didn't know the answer to the question, which added to his annoyance.  
  
"1929?"  
  
"That is incorrect, Mr. Wheeler."  
  
'Man, I swear if he uses my name one more time-' He thought angrily as the class burst into laughing.  
  
"Now can someone help Mr. Wheeler out?"  
  
The brown-haired kid raised his hand.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Kaiba."  
  
"The first World War started in 1914 and ended in 1918." (a/n: I think those dates are right)  
  
"That is correct," the teacher said approvingly.  
  
Joey growled, quietly so he'd escape detention.  
  
Kaiba heard it and smirked.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lunch  
  
"Man! I have HAD IT with that guy!" Joey exclaimed the moment he saw Yugi in the cafeteria. "He's the teacher's pet after spending forty-five minutes in his classroom!"  
  
"Calm down, Joey. You're saying that Kaiba's at *this* school?"  
  
"Yes!" Joey replied a little too loudly. "Just look over there!" He waved his arm in the direction of a group of girls huddled around something. "Mr. Popular!"  
  
"That's only because he's rich," Yugi said carefully.  
  
"And has the looks to go with that money!"  
  
Joey and Yugi both turned. A pretty blond-haired girl was walking towards their table. She pulled up a seat beside Joey and set her tray down. Joey blushed, but recovered quickly. "What's he got that I don't got, Mai?"  
  
Mai Valentine waved a gloved index finger in the air. "Joseph, when will you learn to use proper English?"  
  
Joey grinned sheepishly.  
  
"And to answer your question, he's got a mansion, a very successful factory up and working, servants, money, you name it."  
  
Joey groaned and focused on his lunch.  
  
They ate in silence for a short time, then Mai asked, "What's wrong with you, Joey? You're never this quiet."  
  
Joey looked up at her, his friend. He could trust her with his problems. He opened his mouth to say something, then he heard his name. He turned, back towards the crowd. The voice had belonged to a short, dark-haired girl from his History class.  
  
"That punk? He looked more like a puppy-dog to me!" Kaiba laughed, which caused everyone in the group to break out in laughter.  
  
Joey growled and stood, his chair sliding nosily across the floor. "Why I oughta!" He started towards Kaiba, who was oblivious to the blond. Joey stopped when he felt something touch his arm. He turned. Mai had gotten up and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Joey, don't go and make a fool of yourself!"  
  
"You heard what he said!"  
  
"Yes, we did. Which is just another reason to ignore it!  
  
Joey sighed. "Maybe you're right..."  
  
Mai helped him back into his chair. Joey slouched and stared at the floor, as if daring it to call him a puppy-dog too.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" Mai asked, her voice sounding worried.  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
Mai sighed and went silent.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~home  
  
"What're ya doin' home late, boy!" Joey's father yelled as soon as his son walked in the door. "I told you to report back by twelve, remember? Right after your doctor's appointment!"  
  
Joey moaned. 'Great, he's drunk..' "Dad, that was yesterday. I had school today."  
  
"That's no excuse!" Mr. Wheeler continued.  
  
Joey went upstairs, dropped his books onto his bed, and returned to the family room, if that's what one would call the empty room.  
  
Joey's father grabbed his arm and shoved him against the wall. "Don't you be mouthin' off to me! Let your mother take care of that!"  
  
"Wha? I don't have a mother here to-"  
  
"Silence!" the older man roared. "Don't question me! I'm the one that feeds you!"  
  
Joey rolled his eyes. "Yea, sure, Dad."  
  
A hand appeared out of nowhere and smacked Joey, hard. "Don't you DARE roll your eyes at me, boy!"  
  
Joey flinched, but stared into those cold brown eyes. "I got homework to do."  
  
"Not tonight, you don't!"  
  
Joey sighed. "I'll flunk if I don't finish this report. I need to pass this quarter to get to the next grade!"  
  
Mr. Wheeler roared, then threw Joey across the room. He landed on his back on the ground and slid into the wall.  
  
"OUT!" the man bellowed, his red-rimmed eyes buldging.  
  
Joey saw this as his only escape and ran up stairs for his books and a clean outfit, all packed into on old gym bag. He climbed out the window instead of going back downstairs.  
  
Tonight, he'd live sleep on the streets.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Zero: well, that there's my first chapter...extremely sorry if I'm hard on Joey!! He's my favorite character I swear! Second in total only to Heero Yuy!!! Also sorry if I got something wrong..  
  
Please r/r 


	2. Out on the streets

Zero: thank you for the reviews!! Wow...you people review fast! ^^ Anyway, about being hard on Joey...well, all I can say is I must believe in that you-hurt-the-one-you-love thing. He will be ok in the end!! *nods* And now about Mai...ok, so she's not in that school...or in school at all, but she's needed here. So She'll be Joey's age about. Ok? Hope that doesn't get confusing.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Don't own, wish I did.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
'Dear Diary,  
I'm out on da streets for the 2nd time this week...I've got me a buddy down here now. His name's Duke. Won't tell me any more than that. Says he goes to my school. Well, I've never seen him there...  
  
Anyway, he's been on the streets longer than I have by the looks of it. He calls it a game, says he has a place to go to in the winter or when it rains. Can't see why anyone would choose out here instead of a house, though.  
  
The sun's going down...I'd better wrap this up so I won't go blind trying to see the words.'  
  
"Hey, Puppy-dog!"  
  
'Duke's back...usual greeting of-wait!'  
  
Joey Wheeler turned from his diary to face the other boy. "What was that? What did you just call me???"  
  
"Cool your jets, man. I didn't mean nothin'," Duke replied coolly.  
  
Joey started to fume then remembered this was the only person that'd talk to him out here and calmed down. He growled and turned back to the book, latching it shut.  
  
"What's that?" Duke asked, peering over Joey's shoulder.  
  
"My Will," Joey replied, tucking the book carefully into the gym bag.  
  
"You planning on dying on me?"  
  
"When I step foot back in my own house, I'm dead."  
  
"It can't be that bad."  
  
"Wanna go back in my place?"  
  
"No thank you!"  
  
Joey smirked and pulled up the rag that would be considered a blanket. He wrapped himself in it and rolled over so his back was facing Duke.  
  
"Going to sleep already, Puppy?" Duke asked innocently.  
  
Joey nodded. "I gotta test tomorrow...and I'm tired."  
  
Duke shrugged and sat cross-legged on his blanket. He was silent as Joey slept.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next morning  
  
Joey rolled out of his cocoon as the sun began to rise. He yawned, stretched, and looked around. Duke was lying curled up on his blanket, snoring softly.  
  
Joey got up and changed quickly. Their little alley was tucked between and behind two or three buildings, so he didn't need to worry about any punk watching or picking fights with him.  
  
He picked up his schoolbooks, tucked the gym bag in a crack in the wall, and whispered 'good-bye' to Duke, who only rolled over in his sleep.  
  
As Joey walked up the path to the school, the sun was already climbing higher in the sky. The first bell was just ringing as Joey walked in.  
  
'Perfect timing!' He thought triumphantly.  
  
He walked to his locker and put in his number code. He grabbed what books he'd need and stuffed the rest into the crammed space before shutting the door.  
  
He met up with Yugi on the way to their homeroom.  
  
"Good morning, Joey!" Yugi called happily, bouncing over to him. Joey couldn't help but smile at his friend. Yugi's attitude was catchy.  
  
"Mornin', Yug," he replied.  
  
They walked into the room. Joey sighed, thinking that maybe today, his luck would change.  
  
By History class, Joey was in high spirits. His test in Math hadn't been as hard as he'd expected and he just felt good about being away from his father and rotting house.  
  
His grin faded as soon as he walked into the room.  
  
Kaiba was already in there, chatting with his fans. When Joey appeared at the door, he glanced in his direction and did a good imitation of a puppy begging for food. The crowd went wild with laughter.  
  
Joey scowled and sat at desk furthest away from Kaiba and his pals.  
  
The bell rang and the teacher walked in. He went straight up to the board and began a very boring lecture on taxes. The teacher completely ignored Kaiba, who was sitting on the desk right in front of him making puppy-dog motions and other things.  
  
Joey sighed and concentrated hard on the lecture.  
  
By lunch the next period, Joey wasn't feeling any better. It seemed that Kaiba lived only for his factory, girls, and tormenting Joey.  
  
Yugi bounced over, sliding his tray onto the table and sitting next to his friend. "Hello, Joey. How'd the morning classes go?"  
  
Joey sighed and pointed. It seemed as if the brown-haired jerk never ran out of insults. Still making puppy-dog motions, Kaiba sat with his back to their table. Just then, a kid a little younger than Joey got shoved by a bigger kid and accidentally rammed into Kaiba. Kaiba stood; the crowd- the whole lunch room- went silent. Yugi's mouth was slightly open.  
  
Kaiba looked at the boy, now on the floor. "Excuse me?"  
  
"I-I'm s-s-sorry, M-mister," The boy, clearly a junior, replied, standing up.  
  
Kaiba brushed himself off and glared down at the boy. "Watch where you're going. I'm having a good day. Stay out of my way!"  
  
The cafeteria 'ooh-ed' and 'ahh-ed' as Kaiba sat back down. A few clapped.  
  
Yugi blinked and turned to Joey.  
  
"That's how I ran into him at this school," Joey said, turning back to his food. "And I haven't had a days peace and quiet yet!"  
  
"That was only yesterday," Yugi replied, sipping his juice.  
  
Joey shrugged.  
  
Just then, Mai walked into the room. She quickly got her food and walked over to their table. "Hello, boys," She said pleasantly, sitting down.  
  
"Did you see that?" Yugi asked, nodding over at Kaiba.  
  
"See what?" Mai followed Yugi's gaze, but shook her head, confused.  
  
"That creep just mowed over some kid," Joey replied.  
  
"That's not what happened!" Yugi said. He turned to Mai and filled her in. Back at Kaiba's table, a girl with short blonde curls was gesturing over at their table, then making a lovey-dovey face and kissing the air. Joey realized she knew he was watching and Kaiba smirked.  
  
Joey looked over at Mai, then back at the others. The girl nodded and pointed at him and kissed the air again. Joey growled and ignored them.  
  
"Joey?"  
  
"Yeah, Mai?"  
  
"What was that about?"  
  
Joey blinked then blushed, realizing Mai meant the exchange between him and that girl. "Nothing," he replied quickly.  
  
Mai raised an eyebrow, but didn't push the matter. "There's a dance next week!" She said cheerfully. "You two going?"  
  
Yugi nodded. "Tea should be back by then!"  
  
Joey shrugged. Dancing was the last thing on his mind right now.  
  
Mai continued to chat about the dance and which cute guys she was going to ask. Joey sighed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After School  
  
Joey walked towards his house. The place seemed dark and gloomy since there were no lights on. Joey snuck around to the back door and quietly went in. He needed a new outfit for the next day, and he'd hoped he could catch a shower.  
  
Joey winced as the door creaked loudly as it swung open. He looked in. Nothing. He took a step in. Nothing. He shrugged off the feeling that he shouldn't be there and crept up to his room. He turned the doorknob and opened the door. What he saw made his mouth drop open.  
  
There was blood covering his bed, pictures thrown across the room with the glass broken. There were broken beer bottles on the floor. Two lumps in his bed proved that he wasn't alone.  
  
One of the lumps shifted, rolling over. Joey saw that it was his father. He started to back out of the room, but his dad's eyes popped open. At first he just stared, as if not seeing anything out of the ordinary. Then he spotted Joey in the doorway, frozen in fear.  
  
He swung his body out of the bed and stood up. He took a step towards Joey. Joey stepped back. Before long, Mr. Wheeler had Joey against a wall. "What the hell you doin' back here boy?" he roared. "Thought I told you ta git!"  
  
Joey gulped. "I-I just came back t-to w-wash up."  
  
"What am I? You're baby-sitter?! Get outta here and get a damn job!"  
  
Joey flattened himself against the wall, turning his head slightly to miss the terrible smell of his father's putrid breath. It smelled of beer and other alcohol.  
  
"Y-yes sir!" Joey stammered. His father cuffed him around the ear, hard, and threw him away from him.  
  
Joey scrambled away and was out the door by the time his father made it down the stairs.  
  
It all happened in one swift movement.  
  
Mr. Wheeler picked up a beer bottle and hurled it out the open door at his son. It hit him squarely on the back; throwing him off balance and making him trip. He rolled over and over before stopping in the middle of the street.  
  
He sat up groggily and looked around. His dad had disappeared back into the house. Everything was quiet. Instead of being clean, as in the plan, Joey was covered in dirt.  
  
He stood up, trying to brush himself off. He shook his head to clear his vision, and found that his arm throbbed painfully. It wasn't broken- he could flex it all right. It just hurt.  
  
He took a step towards the opposite side of the road, just as he noticed headlights appear over a hill in the road. He froze. The car was coming at full speed- straight at him!  
  
He took a step back on instinct, his mind fogging up and not allowing him to think straight. He was going to die.  
  
Right after that thought, he noticed who the driver in the bright red convertible was. Non-other than Kaiba himself.  
  
At the last moment, Kaiba saw the obstacle in his path and managed to swerve away from Joey, who finally found his brains and dived off the road, rolling through the grass on the other side.  
  
Kaiba got out and strode towards the blond. "What the hell were you thinking, Wheeler?!" Kaiba said severely. "Sleeping out in the middle of the road??"  
  
Joey blinked and stood up, brushing clumps of dirt off his already dirty uniform. His head hurt, along with his arm. His legs felt wobbly. He'd just escaped Death.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Zero: 'nother chapter up!! And on a roll!! ^^ Anyway, a cliffy ^^ stay tuned for the next chapter of...Joey's Diary! The next chapter will begin with a diary entry as usual...it'll tell what all happened! ^^ 


	3. Encounters the start

Zero: I kinda like this story...easy to write, even though I'm not sure where it's going ^^;;  
  
DISCLAIMER: don't own, wish I did  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
'Dear Diary,  
  
Why do I keep writing to this book? Well, that's not the point... After I nearly got ran over by that jerk, thanks to my dear old dad, he actually only yelled for a few minutes. I think I'm getting better at ignoring him. Then he drove off, just like that. Not like I care really. Maybe it'd have been better if he hadn't swerved at the last second... But then I wouldn't see Mai for a LONG time...or Yugi for that matter. At least I'd be ridda 'dat jerk.  
  
I got pretty banged up. A bump appeared outta nowhere on my head! AND I was unconscious for a few hours! I hate having to be taken care of. Don't get me wrong, Duke's great and stuff...but still.  
  
I still gotta go to school. Man, this ain't gonna be fun. Anyway, I'd better be off now...'  
  
With that, Joey shut the diary and tucked it in its little crack. Duke had taken off an hour ago. As Joey walked up to Domino High, he couldn't keep his mind off of that incident with his father. Who had made that other lump in his bed? It didn't seem fair; Joey still lived there, and his dad was just taking over like that.  
  
'If only Serenity was here....' Joey thought sadly. 'She always knew how to brighten a mood.' But, then he thought about that more. It would be better for her to be in a house, instead of on the streets.  
  
He reached the school just as Yugi ran out to meet him.  
  
"Joey!" He called anxiously.  
  
Joey raised an eyebrow, and then noticed that Mai had followed him out. "What?"  
  
"Joey! Is it true?"  
  
"Is what true?" Joey began to worry that he'd been out longer than Duke had said, after he'd passed out on the way back to the alley that seemed to be his new home.  
  
Mai caught up with him the same time Yugi did, both seeming breathless.  
  
"Word throughout the school...is that you were nearly run over-" Mai started.  
  
"By Kaiba!" Yugi finished.  
  
Joey nodded slowly, relived that he wasn't behind on anything. "Yeah, but I'm here now." He grinned. "I survived it with barley a bump!"  
  
Mai eyed his head, raising an eyebrow. Joey blushed.  
  
"Ok, maybe ONE bump..."  
  
"How's that head of yours, Puppy? Need some bandages?" Kaiba now walked toward him, followed by his little group. "Or how about a brain transplant? I hear you're failing in at least one class already."  
  
Joey growled. He knew he was in trouble in English, even though the year had just started...was there more?  
  
"Yes, Puppy. I've seen your grades." Kaiba smirked. Joey started toward him, his fists clenched on either side. Mai glanced at Yugi, who nodded quickly, and they each grabbed onto one of Joey's arms and tugged backwards. Joey kicked up a cloud of dust but couldn't move forward another inch. Kaiba laughed at his attempts and turned, his trench coat flowing behind him. Joey was fuming, so much so that there was nearly visible steam coming out both ears.  
  
"Why do you let Kaiba get under your skin so easily, Joey?" Yugi asked, after Kaiba had disappeared into the school.  
  
Joey sighed and calmed down somewhat. "I dunno, Yug. He just...ticks me off so much."  
  
"With an attitude like that, it's a miracle the teachers can stand him," Mai said, agreeing with Joey.  
  
"But they just let him do what he wants no questions asked!" Joey growled. He stormed up to his locker, Mai and Yugi following close behind. They were still intent on getting an answer out of him. They didn't get very far- Joey had shut them out, their voices not meaning anything in his mind. He was thinking about something. A way to get Kaiba back.  
  
It may be childish, but Kaiba wouldn't expect that...this was HIGH school. Joey smirked evilly all the way to his homeroom. Yugi and Mai shared puzzled looks before heading off to their classes.  
  
As Joey entered his History class, Kaiba was on his usual perch, ignoring the teacher at the board. Joey sat down in his seat, the furthest from Kaiba as he could get. He sighed as he thought about how this was only the beginning of the second quarter of the school year but it felt like it'd been half the year. The teacher turned and addressed the class.  
  
"I know that most of you will think this a thing of the past, for elementary and jr. high, but I will assign you each a different seat each quarter. In other words, it happens to be seat-changing time."  
  
Joey stiffened, but Kaiba seemed to be ignoring the teacher, staring off into his own little world. Joey jumped as the bell rang, then shook his head in attempt to rid himself of any tension.  
  
"Mary Smith, over there," the teacher said, pointing. "Jay Jackson, next to her. William Davis, up here," and so forth. Soon, the moment came when he announced Kaiba's name. "Seto Kaiba, right here." He pointed to a seat in the middle row, three seats back. "Joseph Wheeler, right in front of him. Loren Moore, in front of Joseph, please."  
  
Joey stood by his desk, staring at the person sitting calmly at the desk behind him. Slowly, Kaiba brought his eyes over to Joey and glared. Joey growled and sat down, glaring at the black board. Then he noticed Loren's soft brown hair and watched it swish as she moved. He began to think of Mai's blonde hair and how it moved, or stood on end when she was mad.  
  
Suddenly, the door opened and in stepped a tall black-haired boy. He had a die hanging off of his left ear.  
  
"Ah, Duke, how nice of you to join us..." the teacher said in his monotone voice. It was obvious the older man recognized the kid, for there was a frown on his face, a look of annoyance.  
  
"Sorry I'm so late, I've been...busy," Duke said cheerfully, as if it might be normal for a teen to miss the first few days of school of school and then appear.  
  
Joey stared at him and instantly wished Duke would be assigned the seat behind him, instead of that jerk. Kaiba smirked, seeing Joey's reaction. He'd seen them on the streets together and was pleased to torture his classmate further. Joey muttered curses as Duke was assigned a seat in the back corner.  
  
"And now, on with the lesson...Can anyone tell me what Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was?"  
  
Joey blinked; he didn't remember anything he'd read.  
  
Kaiba and Duke glanced at each other and raised their hands at the same moment, but it was Loren that was called upon.  
  
"Lincoln wanted to end the war and keep the states together, the North and the South. He figured that freeing slaves would hurt the South; especially since that was the reason those states had succeeded, so that was what the Proclamation was all about. However, the South released none of their slaves on the due date, but they would be free to join the Union as the North took conquered areas in the South," she replied slowly.  
  
The teacher stood in front of her, appearing shocked. Loren tapped him with one of her black nails and tilted her head. "Am I wrong?"  
  
He shook his head and refocused his eyes. He was obviously not used to many right answers, other than Kaiba's. "Great, now for the next question..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The bell rang and Joey was the first on out of his History class. He shook his head and slowed, thinking of waiting for Duke. But instead, Loren walked up to him.  
  
"You really need to study more," she said with a smile on her face. Joey took in her dark clothes, red lipstick, and black nail polish. She had a spiked choker around her neck and her light brown hair had blue tips, but her eyes seemed innocent enough.  
  
Joey blinked and nodded. He couldn't remember if he'd seen her in Kaiba's group or not. She patted him on the head and turned back down the hall, calling over her shoulder, "I refuse to lead a failing row!"  
  
Joey sighed and headed off to his locker. He didn't know what to make of the day, or the remains of his plan. He decided he'd need to rethink his plan and just forget about Loren. He'd study, of course, so Kaiba wouldn't have anything else on him.  
  
He entered the lunchroom to find Kaiba and his crew lazily watching another kid and let out a sigh of relief. He got his lunch and walked over to Yugi's table. Mai was already there, chattering happily with Yugi. Joey settled down next to her and ate quietly, listening to her voice and forgetting the events of earlier. She glanced at him, but saw he had nothing to say, so went on about the latest fashion, or her new boyfriend. It was then that Joey realized just how popular she was. He felt a stab of jealousy, but dismissed it quickly. She was only a friend, he reminded himself.  
  
"You're quiet again, Joey. What's up?"  
  
Joey looked up from his try of finished food. "Nothin', Mai."  
  
Mai raised an eyebrow. "What about earlier?"  
  
"'Dat was nothin'."  
  
Mai sighed. "I forgot how stubborn you can be, Joseph," she said teasingly.  
  
Joey grinned, proud at least for that trait of his.  
  
Suddenly, there was commotion over at Kaiba's end. Loren was standing in front of him, unmoving. He glared, and she returned it. Kids had gathered around them, hoping for a fight.  
  
"Move," Kaiba said quietly, his voice filled with hatred and impatience.  
  
"No," Loren replied simply. "I was here first, plus I have just as much right as you do to walk on these tiles." The crowd 'ooh-ed' and 'ah-ed.' Kaiba snarled something that even the closest people had to lean forward to hear, but Loren heard just fine. She shrugged and remained still. "Just you try it."  
  
Before anyone could react, Kaiba's fist appeared out of nowhere and connected with her jaw. She staggered back, wiping the blood from her lip, but she still didn't move. "Stupid jerk."  
  
"Get the hell away from me, bi-"  
  
Before he could finish, she dropped to her hands and spun herself around, kicking his legs out from under him. He reacted quickly, performing one back flip and landing lightly on his feet.  
  
"You'll live to regret that." She spat in his face at the words.  
  
"As if!"  
  
At amazing speed, his fist found her stomach, and then his knee found her back. He kicked her down to the floor and prepared to walk all over her when he himself was knocked over. He looked up, startled, to see Joey Wheeler standing over him. Mai was helping Loren up and Yugi was standing near her, ready to help.  
  
"Can't help but pick on girls now, eh?" Joey snarled.  
  
Kaiba glared. "This is none of your business, Dog. Now get lost if you value your life." Kaiba was up on his feet by now. Joey grabbed Kaiba's coat collar and slammed him against the wall. Anger was filling him now, for everything Kaiba had done to him. He recalled now the tall brunette slapping him around in that alleyway, not just sneering at the blonde, just for crossing his path. The two brought out the anger in each other; Kaiba just chose to not let it interfere. Kaiba smirked, thinking the blonde in front of him lacked the courage to slap him or anything but bluff.  
  
Joey slammed him against the wall once more in frustration. Yugi was now at his back, tugging on his elbow and trying to pull him away. Joey wouldn't budge; he was determined to make Kaiba think something of him now. He lifted his fist and aimed to punch Kaiba, who blocked easily, but Joey dropped Kaiba and made a hit with his other fist. Blood trickled down Kaiba's chin, which he licked away.  
  
"Not to bad, for a puppy."  
  
"WHAT did you call me?!" Joey lashed out, being blocked once again. He kicked out at Kaiba, but the brunette boy caught his leg and flipped him onto his back. Joey reacted quickly and brought the taller boy down as well. Kaiba landed on Joey, knocking the breath out of him. Kaiba smirked and got up, brushing the dust and dirt from his trench coat.  
  
"You surprised me, Wheeler, I'll give you that." He walked through the crowd before any teacher could be summoned.  
  
Yugi was prodding Joey, calling his name over and over. Slowly, Joey sat up.  
  
"Man, I feel like I just got run over...."  
  
"You did," Mai replied. Loren was standing next to her, looking at Joey curiously.  
  
"Why did you do that?" she asked.  
  
Joey groaned as he stood at his full height. "I dunno..." he couldn't even come up with a reason why he took on Kaiba. By the looks of her, Loren could of held her own. He shook his head and stumbled back a step. His head hurt, but it was nothing like what living on the streets could do to you.  
  
Joey walked back to his table and sat down. He tasted blood and figured his lip was bleeding more. He yawned and laid his head down. He soon fell asleep and Yugi had to drag him to his next class.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After school let out, Joey was feeling almost normal. Except he had another bruise and the bump on his head was hurting more than it had that morning. Kaiba was nowhere in sight and that lifted Joey's spirits considerably.  
  
"See, I knew he couldn't take me on!" He gloated as he walked out of the school, carrying his History and Math books for his homework.  
  
Mai raised an eyebrow, amused, while Yugi grinned at his friend. Loren had disappeared after she thanked Joey, although she'd said she could've handled Kaiba herself. Joey half wished he could find her in the sea of kids heading home.  
  
Duke walked up and slung his arm around Joey's shoulders. "Nice work, Joey!" he said. "You even escaped detention!" that was true; none of the teachers or police officers that usually roamed the school had caught him in his fight. Joey grinned.  
  
Joey followed Yugi to his house instead of going back to his own to face his father or explore the streets. Here, he had a chance to wash up and eat a decent meal at least, although he hated having to accept even his friend's help.  
  
Joey walked through the Motou's house and up to the bathroom. Yugi's grandfather was out, but Yugi assured him it'd be ok if he stayed for a while. He walked in and locked the door behind him. He undressed and stepped into the shower. After turning on the water and finding the perfect temperature, he just stood there, letting the warm water flow onto his lean body.  
  
Before long, he found his thoughts drifting back to the school grounds. And of the cafeteria. Kaiba and his sneer, Kaiba with his intelligence, Kaiba and his richness. Then there was Loren. Why had Kaiba attacked her? Joey didn't know and he didn't care. He just wanted to hurt Kaiba the next time the two met.  
  
Joey shook his head, the water flying from his bushy hair. He had to stop thinking like that. Yugi had said once that it only led to more stress.  
  
He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, the water running down his face. The water was calming and Joey was soon relaxed. He washed his hair and his body, then grabbed a towel and stepped out of the shower. He dried himself off and changed into his street clothes and his green jacket. He walked back to the room with the TV and plopped down on the couch. Yugi walked in and leaned over the back of the couch, looking at Joey.  
  
"Feel better?"  
  
"Yup. Maybe I should stay here more often." Joey grinned.  
  
"You're always welcome to, you know."  
  
Joey sat up. "Yeah, I know...thanks Yug." Yugi nodded and turned, walking to the kitchen in search of some food. He soon returned with a plate of cookies and the two teens dug in; the cafeteria food was hardly filling for Joey and Yugi never ate all that much.  
  
After a few hours, Joey yawned and stretched. "Guess I'd better get goin' back. Duke'll be waitin'."  
  
Yugi looked up at Joey. His eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. "Joey! We could have a sleepover!"  
  
Joey blinked. Yugi, of course, would be the first one to suggest that, but it had caught Joey completely off guard.  
  
"C'mon, Joey! It's a Friday night. We can call Mai, Bakura, Malik, Tristan and Tea! And Duke can come too! It'll be fun!" Excitement glittered in Yugi's eyes at the thought.  
  
"But, Yug...aren't Tea and Tristan-"  
  
"They came back this morning, they called me and..." he trailed off. "I was supposed to tell you to call them back! Tristan couldn't get a hold of you...oops. Anyway, they're back."  
  
Joey had just started to nod as Yugi picked up the phone and dialed everyone's number except Duke's. Joey, meanwhile, left to find him and run Yugi's idea past him. It'd beat sleeping in that alley.  
  
Duke agreed and the two teens walked back to Yugi's place. Mai was already there along with Tristan and Tea out in the Motou's front yard. Bakura and Malik went to a totally different school so it'd take them a while longer, but knowing them, if there was a party going on, they'd be there. They were the life of the party most of the time, what with their 'other selves' and all. They were unpredictable and they always were found together.  
  
Mai was the first to spot them and waved, following Tea and Tristan as they rushed over to greet their friends.  
  
"Man, it seems like forever!" Tristan said to Joey, referring to the last time they'd seen each other.  
  
Tea laughed. "It's only been a week!"  
  
"A week, a year, all the same to me!" Joey exclaimed, thumping his friend on the back. Then Tristan asked if Serenity had been around. Joey shook his head. Tristan sighed, but clapped his hands together. "Is there a party going on here or what?"  
  
Yugi bounced up, a grin on his face, and nodded. "As soon as everyone gets here!"  
  
Tea looked curious, as she eyed the group. "Who else is coming? Just the two trouble-makers?" Yugi nodded.  
  
They waited only a few minutes more before the sound of Malik's car reached their ears. Booming music shook the street and made their bones vibrate.  
  
"Well, lookie who's here!" Tristan said, waving as a red sports car drove up with Bakura half way out over the side. Malik skidded to a stop and Bakura hopped out.  
  
"Where's the blood?!" Bakura asked as soon as he entered the house. "It's not a party till there's blood!"  
  
"Chill," Malik said softly.  
  
"Who wants drinks?" Yugi asked, waving his arms to get the others' attention.  
  
Bakura's eyes lit up. "What'cha got, lil Yugi?"  
  
"Err...something that'll satisfy you, surely!" He said, flashing a grin. "This way!" he led Bakura, who grabbed Malik's arm and dragged him along.  
  
"So...what'll we play? Truth or Dare? Spin the bottle?" Joey asked, ticking off sleepover games on his fingers.  
  
"Not enough girls for Spin the Bottle..." Tristan pointed out. He sat on the couch in front of the TV, next to Joey.  
  
Mai walked in. "Who says it has to have girls?"  
  
Joey mumbled something about not being like that and that she was sick. Tristan nodded. "Girls are more fun!"  
  
"Oh really?" Mai asked, teasingly. "You've tried both?" She giggled softly as Tristan turned red. "Actually, what about night games outside?"  
  
Tristan and Joey looked at each other, then at her. "Believe me, Mai...you don' wanna be outside after dark in dis city."  
  
"It's supposed to storm, anyway," Tristan added. Mai tutted.  
  
"You're just chicken-"  
  
"Pizza's ordered!" Yugi announced, striding back in. Joey's eyes lit up at the sound of food.  
  
The pizza arrived at eight' o'clock, fifteen minutes too many for the ravenous blonde. Yugi had thought ahead and ordered five large pizzas with everything and one with pepperoni. Joey dove into the first one- an everything-pizza. Tristan helped him with the second, and Bakura joined in on the third, fourth, and fifth. Duke, who had been silent up until the food arrived, fought over a pepperoni pizza with Mailk while Mai and Yugi shared the last. The table was a mess, to say the least.  
  
"Ah, 'dat was good!" Joey said, patting his still-slim stomach. "Never too much pizza, I always say!" The others all laughed, and Mai asked, poking his stomach,  
  
"Where do you put it all, Joey?"  
  
"...Dunno!" He shrugged.  
  
"Games!" Yugi declared, moving to the center of the room. "How about we start with a bit of 'truth or dare?' Every party needs that!" The others agreed, moving to sit in a circle on the rug in front of the TV, after moving the couch back a few feet. They left the heap of boxes on the table, along with the dirty napkins and discarded toppings. Bakura left the room and returned with his arms full of bottles. He set them on the floor behind him, guarding them.  
  
"Who first?" Tristan asked, glancing at Yugi.  
  
"Go ahead, whoever," the short one replied.  
  
Mai raised her hand. "Me! Ok, now...Duke. Truth or dare?"  
  
Duke smirked. "Dare."  
  
"I dare you to get up and do the chicken dance!" Mai said, smiling. She figured it best to start out with something funny.  
  
Duke glared and stood up. He started clapping his hands and flapping his arms like a chicken, following the beat of the song he was ordered to dance to in his head. The group laughed, watching the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters strut around the room. Joey, thinking of the company Duke worked for and owned, was suddenly grateful for him to stay out on the streets with him.  
  
Duke sat down, a blush rising on his cheeks. "Eh...Bakura. Truth or dare?"  
  
Bakura thought on this. Should he choose dare and start his fun? Or truth and prolong it?  
  
"Truth."  
  
"Eh...you ever been kissed?"  
  
Bakura blinked, startled at the question. "Err...y-err, no." He blushed a deep red.  
  
"Poor Bakura!" Duke smirked. "Your turn."  
  
The game continued until way past twelve' o'clock. It only ended when Yugi and the girls fell asleep. Duke stretched and curled up next to the couch, which was already occupied by Joey. Tristan was laying next to Yugi, as far away as possible from Bakura, who was acting weird due to the drink, and Duke, who never had gotten along with Tristan much. Mai and Tea were on the other side of the room.  
  
Joey yawned and rolled over, nearly asleep, when Duke spoke.  
  
"What're you going to do about your dad?" He asked softly.  
  
Joey groaned. "I dunno...dat jerk don' wan' me around." Before Duke could reply, Joey waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Let's not talk about dat now..."  
  
Duke nodded and fell silent. The lights were turned out at 2:30 and the gang fell asleep shortly after, worn out from the game and the hard day at school.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Zero: eh...that was long. Tell me what you thought! I think the end kinda stunk, but hey! I couldn't do much on the wild side because Joey's got to stay the way he is!  
  
R/r?  
  
Please? 


	4. Disater at the Arcade

Zero: ok, I forgot to add this in the a/n of the last chapter...but Loren is not going to be a main character, just someone in Joey's class. I needed someone- a GIRL- to somehow get Joey mad at Kaiba so they'd fight...hopefully that fight'll play a bigger roll later on *crosses fingers*. She is made up, slightly resembling someone from my school. She'll be in and out of this story briefly, since she sits in front of Joey.  
  
I've finally started reading the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, and I'm up to Duel 14: The Man from Egypt (part 2). I got to tell ya...I'm lovin' Jonouchi even more! Also...I've never really seen much of his dad, but now I have...  
  
Now, for more of this story!  
  
DISCLAIMER: don't own, wish I did  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joey's Diary chapter 4  
  
'Dear Diary,  
  
There's no point to this book, I swear...  
  
That party last night kept my mind offa' dad, at least for a little while. I'm the only one up right now. Duke's snoring and Tristan's talking in his sleep! Yugi...he's as quiet as always. I slept well, I guess. At least until that nightmare reared its ugly head! I guess I'll write it here...maybe it'll leave me alone then.  
  
It started out as a normal dream, ya know, that you-don't-know-where- you-are-but-that-don'-matter kinda thing. So, I was walking down the street and Yugi was with me. We were talkin' about nothin' really and Mai shows up. She says she wants to show me something, and that Yugi should wait for us at the street corner. She turns and leads me down an alleyway, but Kaiba appears between us, his ugly face in a glower. Now, if dat wasn't enough to give me the creeps, I sure had them when he SMILED! KAIBA smiled! He reached his hand out toward me...and touched me! Mai, by this time, was out of sight. I did nothin' but stand there, stunned. His blue eyes met mine, and I realized just how clear his were. I think I lost myself in them, 'cuz the next thing I know, I'm in my house. Dad's home and the place is a mess. It had always been my job to keep the place clean, in case of unexpected visitors, but I've been gone for a week or so, so it's only natural that it's so messy.  
  
I stepped forward, my foot brushing against a beer bottle. "Who's there?!" a too-familiar voice roared from the next room. I shuddered, to nervous to reply. "I said, who the hell's in my house!"  
  
"Your- I mean, Joey Wheeler."  
  
My dad stepped into view, looking terrible. "I knew a Joey Wheeler once, called himself my son, caused my wife to leave me. But that bastard should be dead by now, bones picked clean by rodents!"  
  
That was hard to take. I mean, I knew my father didn't care for me, but still... I stumbled back, glancing over my shoulder for the doorknob. I found it, thank the gods! I like dreams like that, where you're looking for something and it appears there for ya.  
  
I got outta there as fast as my legs would carry me- and straight into Mr. Smartness himself. Kaiba stared down at me; I guess I'd fallen to the ground at that point. He raised an eyebrow slightly, a smirk playing upon his lips.  
  
Those lips.  
  
I shook my head, sure my brain was rattling in there. I couldn't be thinking like that! I like GIRLS! I like...Mai.  
  
Ok, It's true. I have a thing for her. But for some reason, I couldn't think of her or anyone when I stared into those eyes. It was like-'  
  
"What'cha writing?"  
  
Joey jumped, startled at the voice. He slammed his notebook shut and spun around- only to get caught up in the covers he'd borrowed from Yugi for the night.  
  
"DUKE!" Joey said, relieved and mad at the same time. "You scared the crap outta me!"  
  
Duke chuckled. "It was worth it, Puppy Dog. Now, tell me." His hand reached for the notebook. "What were you writing, so early this morning?"  
  
'That name again...' Joey thought to himself. He shook his head defiantly. "I'm not tellin' ya!"  
  
Duke sighed and grabbed for the notebook that was Joey's makeshift diary. Joey growled and snapped at Duke's wrist, while tugging the book away with both hands. "HA!" Joey said triumphantly. Duke growled.  
  
"Alright, alright. Don't get your collar all tied up."  
  
Joey looked blankly at him. "'Dat was bad, Duke." Duke scowled and proceeded to cleaning up his sleeping area. The girls had moved to another room for the night, so the guys had the room a total mess. Not that Joey cared. He rolled back over on the couch and continued writing.  
  
'Well...it was like something. I don't think I like it too much. I will not let myself fall for that jackass!'  
  
~~~An hour later~~~  
  
The girls came down, a sweet shampoo smell trailing them. Joey grinned and waved. "How nice of you two sleeping beauties to come and join us!"  
  
Mai waved back, and then brought her hand up to her face, examining her nails. "A girl needs her beauty sleep, Joseph."  
  
Joey leaned back, his usual cocky self. "Guys like me, we don't need beauty sleep. We got enough good looks 24/7!"  
  
Mai laughed. "You wish! So, what's in the agenda for today?"  
  
"We could go to the arcade," Yugi suggested. "I heard they got a new duel monsters game there."  
  
"Alright!" Mai agreed with a glance at Joey. "I can beat this dog's tail into next week."  
  
Joey bristled. Mai always seemed to bring this side of him out. "Your tail- feathers will what's getting kicked!"  
  
Their eyes locked and electricity seemed to connect the teens. Yugi sweat- dropped. "Looks like that's settled..."  
  
~~~~~At the arcade~~~~~~  
  
"Move over, Joey. This is my game!" Mai smirked, picking up a paddle. They were facing each other across the expanse of an Air Hockey game, the big kind you would find in an arcade.  
  
"Don't give me those lies! I've dominated here since I could talk!"  
  
"Which must've been in late elementary school." She smirked. "Place the puck, Joseph, while I'm still young."  
  
He growled and shot the puck over to her side with such force Mai couldn't react before it hit the rim and was sent back at Joey. He swiped at it and it shot back into Mai's goal. It was his turn to smirk.  
  
"Now, now. That was only the first five seconds. Don't get yourself all worked up about THAT..." She plucked the puck out of the slot and sent it back to him. He countered, hit the rim, and scored in his own goal. Mai laughed. "Maybe I should let you play like that while I just-"  
  
She was interrupted by the puck whizzing past her paddle and into her goal. "No fair! I wasn't watching!"  
  
"And dat's why you never turn your back on Joey Wheeler!" He crowed.  
  
On the other side of the room, Yugi was playing a sort of a racing game involving two racecars and two players. A faint form of his Yami was next to him, playing along with him. He intentionally let his light beat him. It was worth it, letting the younger one beat the King of Games, just to see the look on his face.  
  
"We gotta try this one, Yami!" he said after another victory, racing his dark to yet another game. The spirit wasn't one to be left behind and was already there, having seen where Yugi was headed. Yugi glared, but soon brightened as he put in a token and began playing.  
  
In a dark corner, Malik, his Yami, Bakura, and his Yami kneeled, watching the humans as the walked about. The two transparent spirits smirked. This could be fun, if you knew how to work.  
  
Marik took over his light's body and stepped out. A dagger glinted in the dimmed light as Bakura, in his light's body as well, followed suit. Their eyes glinted maliciously. Marik stepped over to a beautiful female who was busy beating a smaller boy at a video game. He tapped her on the shoulder, shoving the boy out of the way.  
  
"Hello, Miss. Wanna play a game?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "I'm busy, sleazebag. Get the hell outta my face!"  
  
Marik merely smiled. "I'm sure a girl like you cannot refuse a challenge from a worthy opponent. Am I right?"  
  
The girl stared hard at him. He guessed she was...15? 16 maybe. But she'd already bloomed. He was caught up staring at her when her decision startled him out of his trance-like state. "You're on, tough guy!"  
  
"Rules are simple. Loser gives up their soul to the Shadow Realm. Winner gets to leave unscathed. Deal?" Marik held up his Millennium Rod and the room seemed to expand into an endless void. Soon, the two of them were alone in a world of darkness.  
  
"Shadow Realm? Pa-sleaze." The girl scowled. "What kind of idiotic joke is this?" She added, looking around. Some of the fierceness she'd shown before had ebbed away.  
  
"We play a simple game of Duel Monsters. You do know what that is, right?"  
  
The girl rolled her eyes. "That game that everyone was into a while back? Yeah, I know about it. That Yugi, beating Kaiba, what a phony! You're luck's running out, Mister. I happen to have my deck with me today and there'll be no stopping me!"  
  
Marik smirked. His deck appeared in his hand as he picked up the top card and showed it to her. It was a weak monster: Robolady. Three stars, an attack of 450, defense 900. "This card will put an end to you." He laughed at her bemused expression. It was a cold laugh.  
  
"Let's begin, shall we?" the girl asked, regaining her composure. A playing field appeared between them, a fiend power-up. Marik smirked. "Ladies first."  
  
The girl drew. "I summon The All-Seeing White Tiger! In attack mode!" She placed the card on her side and a life-size white tiger appeared above the board, taking up one square. The girl gasped and stepped back.  
  
Marik drew, regarding her with an amused expression. "Haven't you ever played this game before?" He summoned Pale Beast, attack mode, and took out her tiger with one blow, dropping her total life points from 4000 to 3800. "Your move, Princess."  
  
Bakura looked around for suitable prey. Too bad, they should've gone to a place like Hooters, a place in America...maybe they would've found more women to play with. His light was close to fighting back, not liking his counterpart's thoughts. "Hush," he hissed at Ryou. His light didn't protest. Holding out his necklace, Bakura tracked down a young female. She had long black hair and a golden necklace. For a few seconds, Bakura watched her. She reminded him of Isis, from Battle City a while back, but he shook it off and walked up to her. Purring seductively, he put his arms around her waist and whispered into her ear, "Hey there, Beautiful..."  
  
She stiffened and turned to look at him. His well-trained looks gave him the appearance of an innocent boy, more like his light. She purred back, turning in his arms. Playing with his collar, she voiced a question. "What's a handsome thing like you doing at an arcade?"  
  
"I like games." She giggled stupidly, giving the appearance that she had had one too many at the local bar across the street. "What're you doing here?"  
  
"My boyfriend has this bet with this jerk...big money involved." She moaned softly as Bakura started to nibble at her neck.  
  
She had a boyfriend. Great! Big money involved! Perfect! Bakura grinned evilly inwardly. This would be a master plan!  
  
"This guy- your boyfriend. He wouldn't mind it if you came with me for a few minutes, would he?"  
  
"No, of course not." She giggled again. "He leaves me like that all the time!"  
  
Bakura smirked and led her out the door in the back of the room. There were several other doors, some containing spare games and a storage closet. Even more perfect. He tugged her to the latter and shut the door, fumbling for a light. He found a string and tugged, lighting the room dimly. He grinned. This girl was a beauty, especially when her face was shadowed halfway over. Made her look so sexy...that hair, though still tied up, added to the effect.  
  
He shoved her to the ground, soon over her himself. He quickly discarded their clothes; her caught up in a giggle fit as his fingers grazed her smooth skin. He captured her mouth in a bruising kiss before the light went out.  
  
Duke and Tristan stood near the door, watching the activity that was spread out in front of them like a lazy dude (no offense! ^_~) would the TV set. Tristan leaned against the wall, watching Joey's game with Mai progress. 7 to 9, Mai being in the lead. Joey still hadn't run out of insults, and neither had his female partner.  
  
"Look at Yugi! He's gonna have himself worn out before tonight comes..." Duke commented, nodding in that direction. Tristan smiled, then his brow furrowed in thought. Duke noticed. "What is it?"  
  
"I didn't think we could trust Marik and Bakura here. They just always...seem weird. And now look. Where'd they go?"  
  
"You got a point there..." Duke replied, his quick eyes searching the crowds. Then he shrugged. "What harm could they do? This is an arcade."  
  
Tristan didn't reply, only shrugged. He figured Duke was right. They were just entertaining some girls or something in the middle of the crowds. His attention was drawn back to Joey as he let loose a string of curse words in Japanese. Mai had a confident smirk on her face, one that yelled triumph.  
  
"You cheated somehow!" Joey accused, jabbing a finger in Mai's direction once he finished the insults. She calmly, nearly haughty, put her hand over his arm and shoved it out of her way as she walked past him. She walked upstairs to the upper portion of the arcade and out onto a balcony. Joey followed, fuming.  
  
Mai walked over to the railing and stood, looking out across the small portion of Domino she could see. There was the school, a museum, and some other buildings. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder It was Joey. He met her eyes, but she turned away.  
  
"Hey. I'm sorry about all I said back there..." She made dismissive motions with her hand, brushing Joey off. "Doesn't matter," she replied.  
  
"Yes it does," he persisted. "I didn't mean a word of it."  
  
Mai turned back to face Joey. "I know. You never do." She gave him a smile, then motioned to the city. It was beginning to get dark. They had been at the arcade a few hours already, and they hadn't woken up very early to start out with. "Look at it, Joey. It's beautiful..." The sun was setting, setting the sky on fire with color. The taller buildings outlined with that celestial light, the streetlights faint glow combined- it was a pretty sight.  
  
Joey looked sharply at her, surprised. Mai never talked about other things like that. Only herself. When she didn't turn back around another time, he, too, looked out across the city.  
  
"Strange place for an arcade..."  
  
"Got that right," Mai replied.  
  
They stood, shoulder to shoulder, watching the lights of the city for a time before Mai leaned back into Joey's arms. He blinked at her, then smiled and wrapped his arms lightly around her thin frame. She sighed contentedly, one hand resting on Joey's arm, eyes closed. He kissed her hair and held her as the last rays of the sun slipped below the horizon. The moon was rising now, its face bright yet blank. A few early stars winked at the pair.  
  
"Mai...I-" Joey started. He was hushed with a gloved index finger over his lips.  
  
"Don't, Joey."  
  
Joey was both startled and confused by this. She was the one who had given him a single, wasn't she? She was the one that had made the first move! And now... "What?"  
  
"I know what you're about to say." Mai slid from his grasp and walked a few steps away from him. "Joey- it wouldn't work." She turned away from him, unable to meet his eyes. He stepped forward, towards her, but she shook her head and he stopped. "Don't...you'll only make it harder."  
  
"How can it get any harder?" Joey asked, feeling both hurt and annoyed. Had it been that obvious he liked Mai? And why had she waited till now to tell him she knew?  
  
"I'll end up hurting you, I know it." She turned, her eyes watery. "That's the LAST thing I would want to do." She paused and there was a moment of silence between the two. "If things didn't work out...I couldn't bare to loose our friendship."  
  
Joey walked the distance separating them and brought Mai into his arms. She didn't resist, instead she buried her face into his chest. He smoothed out he hair where the wind had blown it askew absentmindedly. "Look, Mai. Things will work out. I-"  
  
"You hardly know anything about me, Joey," she said bitterly. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Please understand, Joseph." With that, she stepped back, then turned and walked back inside, leaving Joey outside in the dark.  
  
He growled and slammed his fist into the brick wall. It didn't move or crumble, only gave Joey's knuckles a scrap. His whole hand throbbed in pain, but Joey didn't notice. He'd just been rejected by the girl he cared most for! He felt numb inside and even the sharpest pain could not find its way through. He wanted someone to slap him, to wake him up from this nightmare. Biting back tears of anger and frustration, he decided one his destination as he jumped the railing and down the two stories to the ground. He landed on his feet with a thud and was thrown off balance and landed on his side.  
  
Joey gasped, feeling like his lungs had been crushed. In reality, he'd only had the wind knocked out of him. He recovered and stood shakily, being forced to a kneeling position. His ankle felt like it was on fire. He checked it for breaks and found none, to his relief. It might be only sprained. He hoped so as he stood up again and walked away as best as he could.  
  
He was going to his dad's place. The one time Joey needed his father, he was there. At least, that was what ran over and over in Joey's mind.  
  
Joey didn't bother to knock when he reached his old house; he just walked right in. As usual, there was junk everywhere. There was hardly space to walk, thanks to all of the beer bottles. The couch and chairs weren't any better off, either. They may have been covered in white cloth to keep off dirt, but Joey could make out brown stains from spilled drinks.  
  
He'd almost reached his old room when he stepped on a beer bottle with his bad foot. Joey gasped as this new pain shot through him and he was thrown into the wall. He grasped the doorknob and opened the door to his hell.  
  
Though drunk, the girl screamed as she reached her peak. Bakura thrust once more and pulled out, giving her a quick kiss as he re-dressed. She was panting, and there was blood everywhere. Turned out she was a virgin. Bakura smirked and ordered her to get dressed. Once she did, he dragged her back out into the main room and dumped her. She clung to his arm, begging for more.  
  
"Slut...surprised I was your first." He finally shook her off and slipped away. She was still drunk as could be. Bakura would bet on at least five other guys claiming her before she was aware of what was happening.  
  
'Wonder where Marik got off to...' Bakura looked around for his friend, but couldn't see part of the room due to a black cloud. The people in the arcade had moved away from the cloud and stood watching. A brave few even tried to step through it, to no avail. "There he is!" Bakura said to himself. He started forward and stepped through the cloud with ease, thanks to his Ring.  
  
What he saw made him smirk. Marik and a girl were in the middle of the Shadow Realm, appearing to be just finishing up a game of duel monsters.  
  
"Attack her Earthbound Spirit, Dark King of the Abyss!" Marik roared, laughing now. There was a flash of dark light and the girl's Earthbound Spirit card was shredded. Her life points dropped even more. She appeared shaken, but stood tall. She drew her card.  
  
I summon Mystic Clown in attack mode. Now, attack his Dark King!" There was another flash and the Dark King disappeared, along with a few hundred life points.  
  
"Nice one, girl. Now, I end this game. I play Dark Hole and send your creature to the Graveyard!" The girl whimpered as her monster was destroyed. "Now, I place Robolady in attack mode. Attack her life points directly!" The monster obeyed, wiping out her remaining life points.  
  
"No...no! I can't lose!" She screamed. She looked wildly about her, seeing things no one else could. Illusions. She screamed and fell backward. Marik stepped towards her, Rod raised.  
  
"Now, my dear. Time for you to lose your mind!" He lowered the Rod to her temple. There was a flash of light and reversed colors (like on a picture negative) and the girl slumped to the ground, soulless. Marik smirked and kneeled to pick the girl up. He held her in one arm and approached the end of the fog. His hair, which had stood up upon entering the Shadow Realm, lay back down, making him appear like the innocent boy that had been destroyed so long ago when he was branded to serve the dead Pharaoh. Bakura was in Ryou's form, looking just as innocent. A look from his friend told Bakura all he needed to know. No one would ever find out what they did. It was better to sneak it up on them, after all.  
  
The two emerged, gasping for breath. Bakura had somehow made his face look all beaten up, and Marik was limping. The girl's father, drawn in by the commotion and the late time, saw her limp body and rushed to her, grabbing the girl away from Marik.  
  
"I'm...so sorry, sir," Marik said, breathless. "We...can too late...we saw who did this, but we couldn't...save her. He got away." He hung his head, appearing disgusted in himself. The father was in tears, being unable to wake her up. A boy a little older than the girl, tears streaming down his face at the loss of his sister, stepped up to Marik and bowed. "Thank you for- trying to-help," He choked out.  
  
The family departed, broken-hearted. Marik shook his head and shot a look at Bakura. The white-haired one smirked. The crowd dispersed soon after the family left. A few went after them to help, but most returned to their games. Tristan and Duke approached Marik.  
  
"What did you do that for?!" Tristan roared, his face red in anger.  
  
"Do what? I only tried to save that young girl!" Marik replied, his features making him seem hurt at the assumption.  
  
"Bull!"  
  
Duke put a hand on his arm. "He could do the same to you, Bud." Tristan glared at Marik, then turned and sulked off. Duke cast a glare Bakura's way as well, sensing he wasn't as innocent at he appeared to be before following Tristan. With that, the two spirits let their Lights take over again.  
  
"Ick! I feel...yucky!!" Ryou said, dusting himself off. "What happened?" His friend shrugged.  
  
"Whatever did happen, I don't think it was good. I feel evilly happy for some reason."  
  
"Me too. Like I did something that pleased me deeply."  
  
They looked at each other. "Let's find the others!" they said in unison, running off into the crowd.  
  
Yugi and his Yami had been at the very end of the crowd as they watched Marik emerge with the girl. Yami appeared sickened, scowling at Marik as he walked. But Yugi had believed their story, the kindhearted boy he was. He was one to believe his friends could do no wrong. He cheered for Marik and Bakura, though they had come too late to save the girl from whatever dark forces had created that Shadow Realm.  
  
"Yugi."  
  
"Yes, Yami?"  
  
"Do you truly believe that Marik didn't open the portal into the Shadow Realm, that he didn't take the girl's soul?" Yami sighed at Yugi's reply. He should have expected his light would stick up for them.  
  
"Ryou was with him and I'm sure he wouldn't let Malik get out of hand." Yugi's smile faltered. "You don't think that they were the cause of all that grief?"  
  
"We'll see, Yugi." With that, the spirit faded back into the puzzle. Yugi sighed and looked around for the others. 'Better go find them...get them all away from here.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Zero: Ok, that's done. It was LONG, a whole 13 pages. I cut it off, gotta save some for the next chapter! ^_~ I finally got a real plot for this! I'm thinking ahead more than the next sentence! I will finish this story with flying colors. Ok! Sorry if the name changing for Ryou and Malik's Yamis was confusing. They're basically the same, I just call the Lights Ryou and Malik (Yugi mainly sees these) and the Yamis as Marik and Bakura (Yugi's Yami tends to see through to these guys). So, any questions, comments, complaints, or compliments for me? I typed the most part of this (about 12 pages) on New Year's Eve and the VERY morning of New Year's Day...just had to add that in! ^^  
  
Please, review!  
  
P.S. Lauren will be there when the gang goes back to school, for those of my kind reviewers who like her! 


	5. Hard Luck

Zero: Kaiba's coming in soon! I don't think many of you will be mad, considering him and Joey are why you're here In the first place! To start off, I'd like to thank my reviewers.........they keep me in line, and writing! I'm always thinking up stuff, so I'll have more stories for you people to read, how's that sound? Anyway, on to the story itself!  
  
DISCLAIMER: don't own, wish I did.

Joey's Diary, Chapter 5:  
  
_With Yugi and the Gang_  
  
It was nighttime, seriously now. The sun had disappeared long ago, but still Joey wasn't back. The gang had decided to split up and look for him, each vowing to return to Yugi's house when either they got a lead on the blonde's whereabouts or an hour had gone by. Malik and Ryou were in one group, looking to the west side of the town; Tristan and Duke went east; Mai and Tea went south; and Yugi, with his Yami, had gone north. Shouts of, "Joey! JOEY!" could be heard along the deserted streets as the friends split up.  
  
Yugi was looking every which way, trying to think of where Joey might have gone. He wasn't at the park, nor school, or even Yugi's house. Yugi didn't even stop to consider the possibility of Joey having gone back to his own house.  
  
Pulling his jacket closer to his small body, the young teen ran down the street towards his grandfather's card shop. Maybe he'd gone there, though it was past closing hours. As soon as he'd rounded the corner, Yugi knew he wouldn't find his friend there. The lights were off inside of the small building and no one was outside. That Yugi could see, that is. There were shadows everywhere.  
  
Yugi shivered, then turned down another street, always calling Joey's name into the night.  
  
Tristan and Duke were having the same problem. They didn't know where Joey would've gone that would've involved a reason. They'd all been at the arcade just thirty minutes ago, then Joey and Mai had ended their game and chaos had reigned as soon as Bakura and Marik had begun to play. Mai had come back; said Joey was staying outside for some fresh air, only he never came back.  
  
"Mai had something to do with this," Duke said to Tristan as they dashed down a street, turned a corner, and ran some more.  
  
"What?? Mai is just as worried as the rest of us!"  
  
Duke just shrugged.  
  
Ryou and Malik were looking inside each building they came to, asking people that were inside if they're seen a tall blonde with big hair. No one had, but the two boys kept it up.  
  
"Um, excuse me, sir." Malik was tugging on an old man's coat sleeve. He was brushed aside before he could ask anything. Malik glared after him and tried another.

Back at his house, Joey stumbled into his room, collapsing on his bed. A trail of blood was making its way from his temple, where his father had slammed him into the wall and he'd fallen to the floor where a beer bottle just happened to be. Luckily, it had been his arm that had smashed it and not his head. Joey groaned, rolled over, and tried to go to sleep. It was really late now, and Yugi and the rest of his friend's were the last things on his mind.  
  
"Mai........." He murmured, half asleep. His eyes closed finally and granted him well-deserved rest.  
  
There was no sound, only the silence of darkness, which was loud in itself. It seemed to weigh down Joey as he trudged along, his footsteps making no sound. But he knew he was walking; he felt the hard concrete as his right foot landed.........the nothingness as he left it, but set his left down.........reverse, repeat.........  
  
Suddenly, he was aware of a sound like dripping water. Above all that rose a sweet voice, like that of an angel or Celestial being. Joey stopped a few moments to listen, feeling his strength return to his worn-out body. He'd wanted nothing more than to find some place to curl upon and sleep, but now he knew he had to keep going.........find what was making this sound.  
  
Some clouds shifted and a stream of moonlight shot down, lighting a figure ten feet in front of him. It was a female, teenager by the form of her body outlined in white. But it was not Mai, and that disappointed him somehow. He couldn't see her face at all, but she was smaller than Mai in most areas.  
  
"H.........He-?" Joey couldn't get his tongue to form the word 'hello.' His tongue felt swollen, and he tasted blood in his mouth. It was then he remembered his lip was cut, and he moved his arm to wipe off the blood.  
  
"Joey........." The strange voice called his name; that in itself was enchanting. He stumbled, reaching out in the darkness towards her. He fell to his knees and one hand as a coughing fit raked his body. Once that cleared up, the voice had changed. It was harder, meaner, yet still.........beautiful.  
  
"Joey? Joey.........that you?"  
  
He recognized that voice now and stood straight; only to take a few hasty steps backward.  
  
It was Seto Kaiba.  
  
"Joseph! Get over here, you dog!" The voice was heading towards him. The moonlight had gone out when Joey had tripped, and now he couldn't see anything anymore. He felt hands grab his jacket, felt them reach their way up to his face. But they were gentle.........so gentle. Not Kaiba's......... No, couldn't be Kaiba's. But his voice was still there.  
  
"That's it, Joseph. Nothing to fear........."  
  
Joey stiffened as something brushed his lips, feather-light. He found it to be Kaiba's thumb. The music in the background was louder, and the tune was speeding up, until it reached a high-pitch note where it suddenly became dangerous, like a tiger on the prowl, having its eyes set on an unsuspecting deer.  
  
Kaiba's touch also became rougher, more abusive, mocking. Joey turned away from him and started to run, but the other was soon on top of him, pining him to the ground, his hands closing over the blonde's neck.........  
  
"No.........no!" He managed, just before his air supply was cut off. He couldn't breath. His lungs ached, begging for air. His heart was racing in his ears, his pulse pounding. He was going to die.........going to die before-   
  
Joey opened his eyes. He was covered in a cold sweat. His arm hurt like a mad thing, and the skin on his cheek felt tight. Tear stains? No. As he reached a hand up to touch the spot, he felt something hard, crusted. 'Dried blood?' Then it all came back to him. The fight with his father, though Joey had surrendered, the dream, the arcade, Mai.........  
  
He shook his head to clear it, though he regretted it instantly. Dizziness over came him, wiping out his senses. Once he recovered, he rolled over, careful of his wounds, and staggered to his feet. He felt off balance somehow, but he made his way to the door. He had to get out of here, he just had to.........  
  
But when he tried to move his right arm, it wouldn't. At all. Frustrated, he looked over at it. It was oddly shaped, and there was a lump on the side he didn't remember being there before. He swore as he realized it was broken, but used his left arm. Soon, he was out of the house, though he had to limp a great deal. The sun was just coming up, and even that small glare hurt his eyes. He raised his good arm to block out the sun as he made his way down the street.  
  
Joey didn't know where he was going. He didn't think he could make it anywhere too far- he was already stumbling the way it was. A shiny red car came up alongside him. The convertible slowed from its speed of 30 miles per hour to the crawl Joey was going. The blonde felt contempt growing inside of him, for he knew this person before the man spoke, even without looking up.  
  
Seto Kaiba.  
  
"What.........do you want?" he growled.  
  
Kaba gave a short laugh, then it was evident he was smirking as he replied. "What happened to the puppy dog? Did some meanie kick him out?"  
  
"Shut the hell up!"  
  
"Ooh, such a mouth. Ought to wash it out with soap."  
  
Joey sighed heavily. He was in no mood to deal with the snob. He lengthened his stride, but Kaiba sped up as well.  
  
"And where are we going, so fast?"  
  
"I am-"he stumbled as he stepped on some large stones, which shifted and caused his to slip. He swore loudly as his bad arm hit the pavement. As he rose, he kicked the side of the perfect car, annoyed. But, once he was standing straight, his vision became blurred and he blacked out, falling to the ground once more.  
  
Kaiba thought this was some joke of Joey's, so he began to drive off. But the blonde did not rise, even when the rear tire threatened to go over his head. He gave an exasperated sigh, opening his door and stepping around to Joey. Slowly, carefully, he lifted the blonde into the backseat of his car, slipping off his own jacket to form a pillow for the other's bruised head. Then he got back in and drove back to his mansion.

A few hours later, Joey awoke from his slumber. On his head was something cool, and his arm felt stiff. He opened his eyes. His arm was in a sling about his neck, and a cast adorned the arm itself. A cloth fell limply to the ground as he sat up. He regretted the movement the second he did it, and laid back down. His body was stiff and it ached everywhere.  
  
He was just rolling over to try and find sleep again, but a voice stopped him.  
  
"So. You're awake." It was a statement; the voice was cool and hard, though it was gentler than seemed normal for it. Joey glanced over to see Kaiba sitting on a chair near the bed.  
  
Just perfect. The one man Joey wanted to see while he was like this! Out of pride, he kept his mouth shut.  
  
Kaiba seemed to sense Joey's mood, and he too felt the same, though he didn't acknowledge it. He sighed before he spoke again. "Look, I didn't want you in my house. But I couldn't just leave you there, to get run over by someone else."  
  
When Joey looked up, he added, "That's my job." Even Joey had to smirk at that- but he caught himself. Here they were, enemies and talking to each other like friends. He tried his best to ignore Kaiba as he stood up on wobbly legs, but he just fell right back over anyway. Kaiba smirked as Joey swore.  
  
"Don't try that again. You've already broken your arm and sprained your right ankle." It was hard for the brunette to keep the amusement at the blonde's predicament out of his voice.  
  
Joey was dizzy. His head was spinning and there were birds flapping about his skull, trailing stars behind them. He fell back onto the bed, into another deep sleep.

Zero: been a long time coming, but here it is! The 5th chapter of Joey's Diary. R/R!! 


End file.
